Saturday, January 31, 2015

The 11th Annual Belgian Beer
Festival is set to take place Friday, February 13th through to
Monday, February 16th, 2015 at Max's Taphouse in Fell's Point,
Baltimore, Maryland from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. each day, free to the public.
Max's will showcase 140 different Belgian drafts and almost 200 bottles of
imported specialty beers, some of which will be making their U.S. premier.

This year, Max's Taphouse will
feature daily special events with Stillwater Ales, Burley Oak Brewing Company,
Oxbow Brewing and Perennial Artisan Ales. These extraordinary brewers will be
featuring Belgian inspired beers, some of which have been made with the
assistance of Max's Taphouse staff members.

This is not just for
Baltimoreans, beer lovers from around the country visit Max’s Taphouse for their
Belgian Beer Festival. Beer lovers from
near and far await this annual event. Max’s Taphouse suggest that
out-of-towners check their website for hotel accommodations – http://www.maxs.com. Visitors and locals can enjoy an added bonus
of Baltimore City’s Restaurant week kicks off Sunday, February 15th.

Max's Taphouse has also opened
their beer cave to further entice Belgian beer lovers this year. Max's will
sell some very rare bottles beginning Friday morning and continuing through the
festival, while supplies last. Specialty bottles such as 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek
2006, Cantillon Cuvee Des Champions 2005 and Lindemans Faro 2010 are for sale
during this festival.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Investigating back as to when
this holiday began Wikipedia says it was a snowy day in the 60s, Rochester, New
York, where Florence Rappaport was dealing with two cranky kids because it was
too cold to do anything during a blizzard.It was then that Florence suggested lets have ice cream for
breakfast.It is said these children
continued the annual celebration, sharing with friends, classmates even through
college. Her grandchildren came on the
scene, spreading the National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebration during
their travels and now there is even an International Ice Cream for Breakfast
Day.

National Ice Cream for Breakfast
Day is celebrated the first Saturday in February, this year February 7th.One Baltimore ice cream parlor is telling
their customers to roll out of bed and come to The Charmery in their favorite pajamas;
in fact, there will be a PJ contest.Doors are opening earlier that day, at 10 am through 1 pm when guests
can enjoy specialty flavors created with morning breakfast, Saturday morning
cartoons and homage to the college days of pizza for breakfast:

Spro Coffee

Cornflakes and Milk

Honey Golden Grahams

The Smurfs

Thunder Cats (with mini eye of Thunderas throughout)

Flintstones

Cold Pizza

Check your city for National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day celebrations.
If you are in Baltimore, you just might find me in my onesies at The Charmery ,
801 W. 36th in Hampden www.thecharmery.com@TheCharmery Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCharmery - I’m
thinking a dip of Cold Pizza and Honey Golden Grahams with their Belgian Liege
Waffle.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Do you like chili? Do you make a great chili?Captain Larry’s moves forward Saturday, February 7, 2015 with their 8th
annual chili cook off with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Dogs XL Rescue.If you like eating chili, there is an $8
tasting fee and if you wear a Dogs XL t-shirt, enjoy happy hour pricing during
the tasting which starts at 4 p.m.

If you want to enter your chili into the contest there are some simple
rules:

Show up at Larry’s at 3:30 p.m. with your chili in a crockpot

Bring signage to promote your chili for the voting

The Captain will provide electric, serving bowls and utensils

It is open voting by everyone that pays admission ($8)

Judging starts at 4 p.m. – Winners announced at 7 p.m.

Prizes will be award for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
place

Chili recipes are not limited; it looks like you can go vegan to
carnivore, beans or no beans. Just for
the heck of it I searched for chili recipe at Saveur magazine’s website- they offered up 15 irresistible
recipes: Rye’s Red Chili, Triple Chocolate Beef & Bean Chili, State
Fair Chili, Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales Chili and more.

Saveur

I’m not sure what the prizes are but on a late afternoon in February warm chili sounds like reward enough.A smart chili maker will invite friends and
family to help booster their votes.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Looking for great dining
bargains? What do you do in-between the specially priced pre-fixe lunches and
dinners with the end of Baltimore County Restaurant Week that just ended
January 24th and Baltimore City’s Restaurant Week, now called
Absolutely Febulous, that kicks off February, 15th? Langermann’s in Canton decided to get a jump
on that promotion by offering a very special week that kicked off Friday,
Jaunuary 23rd and runs through Sunday, February 1st.

Chef Neal Langermann has designed a delicious 2-course lunch menu for
$15.15 per person and a 3-course supper menu for $30.15 per person. “We look at
Restaurant Week as a special event for our guests. We changed things up a bit
and included a little something for everyone—from chicken to pasta and steak.
Of course we also have some of our most popular dishes such as Creole-spiced
shrimp, our famous heirloom grits in bacon butter sauce and sweet potato
cheesecake,” said Chef Langermann.

Langermann’s specializes in fresh, Southern inspired, Lowcountry
(land along the coast of South Carolina with Charleston lying at the heart)
dishes prepared by award winning Executive Chef/Partner, Neal Langermann – a
seven time James Beard Guest Chef at the prestigious James Beard House in NYC.
Prior to opening Langermann’s, Chef Neal received numerous accolades as
Executive Chef at the world renowned Georgia Brown’s in Washington D.C and was
voted Chef of the Year there in 2001. Langermann’s is located at 2400 Boston
Street in The Can Company, Baltimore, Maryland 21224. For reservations call
410-534-3287. For more information, go to Langermanns.com.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Wow, has this segment of the
restaurant industry grown in Baltimore, it seems every restaurant and bar is
offering brunch nowadays. Usually brunch is on Saturday and/ or Sundays, but
there are other restaurants that kick off brunch on Fridays like Hampden’s The
Food Market. You can choose from ala
carte or buffet, libations by the glass or pitcher, singles or bottomless- each
place puts their own twist on brunch. My
brunches of late have been Nickel Taphouse in Mt. Washington Village, Mari Luna
Latin Grille in Pikesville, and Wit & Wisdom located in the Four Seasons
Hotel/Harbor East.

Check out the full story on brunch in Baltimore and the slideshow HERE.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

When is a Friday 13th not bad luck? It is when
you can grab tickets to the Food Network
star of Restaurant
Impossible’s Chef Robert Irvine LIVE show at the Hippodrome on Friday,
February 13th. Irvine combines his chef and soldier know-how on stage
interacting with numerous attendees, with challenges from a digital challenge
wheel that they spin which determines time limits to ingredients to the
challenge itself. Don’t expect a scripted show or a cooking demonstration – it is
much more.

Anything
and everything can (and likely will) happen! Depending on the challenges chosen
for the evening, up to 30 people may be called on stage to participate! Audience
members can be part of the show with social media: Twitter and Facebook. Posts
are collected prior to and during intermission and incorporated in the show.
New video footage will be interjected into the show with insights into who Robert Irvine is from his military background
and getting on the Food Network.

Before you read my interview with Chef Irvine, let me say
that a pair of tickets
to his Baltimore show can be won by linking this story on Twitter with the
hashtag #ChefRobertIrvineinBmore. We will draw the winning Tweeter’s name
January 25, 2015. Read the complete interview HERE.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Among
the numerous restaurant concepts that Chef Bryan Voltaggio and his partner,
Hilda Staples, have opened, Family Meal focuses on a place where families can
enjoy time together, around the table sharing food and conversation at a
pocketbook friendly price. The Culinary Institute of America graduate, Chef
Charlie Palmer protégé, James Beard Award nominee and Top Chef runner up, Chef Voltaggio’s culinary acumen can be seen on
every plate at Family Meal reflecting his rendition of American diner fare.

At the
beginning of January, the second Family Meal restaurant was opened in Baltimore at the end of Pier 4 at the harbor
and in close proximity to the National Aquarium. The first Family Meal was opened in
Frederick, Maryland – home for both Staples and Voltaggio and where the initial
partnership started at their restaurant VOLT. With a strong belief in the
Family Meal concept, the two are expanding beyond the Maryland and Washington
DC market into Ashburn and Richmond Virginia.

Both Hilda Staples and Chef
Voltaggio had time to chat for the Dining
Dish radio program on Baltimore Internet Radio. The vivacious Hilda
gladly shares how she and a complete stranger, Chef Bryan Voltaggio, went into
business. Chef Voltaggio on why
“farm-to-table” could be waning and why. Bryan was very articulate about Share
Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry initiative; he waxed passionately about how no child
should go hungry. In 2015 Maryland legislation is geared to have breakfast,
lunch and dinner for those school children without and a summer program to keep
them fed with nutritious meals.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Cunningham’s Café is kicking off their supper series with a pork
tasting, a Cunningham Farms pork tasting on Saturday, January 24th
at 6:30 p.m. Pork, the other white meat,
is more than just bacon and Cunningham’s Executive Chef Jason Lear and Bagby
Group Chef Chris Becker and Angie Law, their Executive Pastry Chef will be
creating a five course dinner featuring their own heritage breed pork from
Cunningham Farms in Monkton, Maryland.

As the world famous culinarian James Beard said, “If I had
to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite
certain that meat would be pork.” The ticket price is priced right for a great
Saturday evening out, only $49 per person, excludes tax and gratuity but
includes one alcoholic drink, the food and valet parking. Additional alcoholic
beverages will be available for purchase. Be advised that seating for this
dinner is very limited. Stop in the café
to purchase your tickets or call them at 410-339-7750.

Heritage breed pigs can be traced back to a time before
industrial farming and were kept out in the pasture and foraged during all
kinds of weather. Time and industrial farming diminished these heartier breeds
of hogs. Some farmers held on to these breeds
so they didn’t become extinct and we now call these numerous breeds “heritage.”

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 14th
is National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day. Can’t you just taste that warm pastrami
on fresh cut Jewish rye with a glob of yellow mustard and a slice of half-done
Kosher pickle on the side. Maybe splurge for a cup of steaming hot matzo ball
or crab soup on a cold winter day.

Maryland
Live! Casino welcomes its newest restaurant offering to the casino floor
– Morty’s Delicatessen. Now open daily for breakfast, lunch,
dinner and late-night dining, Morty’s features a menu of classic, made-to-order
deli sandwiches, served with a selection of homemade soups, sides, salads and
desserts.

To celebrate the
grand opening, Maryland Live! Will give away 500 FREE Pastrami
Sandwiches through a Facebook
offer on January 14, 2015, which is “National Hot
Pastrami Sandwich Day.” To claim a free Pastrami sandwich, visit the Maryland Live! Facebook page
on January 14 to claim an offer valid through January 18, 2015. While
supplies last.

The 84-seat restaurant, which was designed to offer a traditional,
New York-style deli experience, features a selection of classic Core
Sandwiches, such as Corned Beef, Roast Beef, Brisket, Ham, Salami, and of
course, Pastrami.

Morty’s Delicatessen
is located on the casino floor, next to the Live! Buffet. Guests must be 21 to
enter. For information, visit www.marylandlivecasino.com Hours
of operation are Monday-Thursday, 6:00am–3:00am; Friday, 6:00am–4:00am;
Saturday, 7:00am–4:00am; and Sunday, 7:00am–3:00am. Breakfast will be served
until 11:00am each day.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Chef Cyrus Keefer, who has cooked twice at the James Beard House in New
York City and featured by StarChefs.com for his culinary prowess, has a large
following in Baltimore and beyond. Formerly the chef at Fork & Wrench,
Birroteca and other regional restaurants, Keefer wants a place that is truly
his own– hence the pop-up dinner for
Keefer’s Pique Restaurant will be hosted at Sotto Sopra Restaurant at 405 N.
Charles Street, Baltimore, MD.This is a
one evening event with limited seating on Thursday, January 22 with the
reception and silent auction starting at 6:30 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres
and adult libations.At 7 p.m. the five
course tasting styled seated dinner will follow; a sampling of what restaurant
goers can expect at Pique when it is opened. Guests will receive packets on the
new concept restaurant and ask to donate to their Kickstarter
campaign.

Chef Cyrus Keefer is looking to open his own restaurant in Baltimore’s
Hampden neighborhood at 846 W. 36th Street and he is looking for
funding through Kickstarterto raise the dollars necessary.The
restaurant is called Pique, a restaurant committed to seasonal ingredients with
an eye to Asian and French cuisine. It will be a 25 seat micro restaurant with dining
at the tables as well as the exhibition kitchen counter. Initially Pique will start
with dinner service Tuesday through Sunday. They will be BYOB and looking to
expand to licensing for beer and wine and numerous special events.

The name of the restaurant Pique (pronounced PEE cue), is actually
named after an onion pique, a method of cooking where one pins bay leaves with
whole cloves to onions although the other definition of pique, to excite, is as
relevant never knowing what else is up Chef Keefer’s culinary sleeves.

Tickets:$75 per person includes reception,
seated dinner, tax and gratuity - does not include beveragesduring the dinner /
cash bar. Guests must be 21 or older to attend. Valet parking will be available

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Dining Dish (a.k.a, Dara Bunjon) is founder of Dara Does It, which caters to the food industry everything from PR to food styling to cooking instructions, and more. Enjoy her rants, raves, recipes and food adventures, and let her know yours!

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